The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-05-04

made upon the political measures anu
the national policies of the particular
time, are philosophical expositions OF
the genius and structure aud principles
of the American Constitution, replete
with the deepest wisdom and the most
unerring sagacity. Each speech Is a
consistent chapter of continuous dis
course, a harmonious part of connected
system of political science, which viii
place their author among those great
spirits who bless and instruct mankind
long after the celebrity of politicians
and statesmen disappears beneath the
waves of forgotten times.
But there is third reason why South
Carolina should have on her soil
statue of Calhoun, and that Is his stain
less purity of life, his sterling virtue
and integrity of character. This, more
than any other, was the cause of his I'M
paralleled hold upon the love, reyer-
ence, and trust of his people. His was
the greatness of soul which, fired with
a love of virtue, consecrated itself to
truth and duty, and, with unfaltering
confidence in God, was ever ready to be
inundated in the cause of right and
country. This moral excellence, this
uprightness of motive and action, was
the granite foundation of his character,
underlying and supporting the splendid
superstructure of his noble and exalted
qualities of genius, eloquence, wisdom
and patriotism. The people of South
Carolina, whatever may be their admi-
ration of brilliant intellect and the
achievements of craftsmanship, have
never yet put their country's interest
and honor under the leadership of any
one unless they had confidence in his
moral superiority. In erecting this
statue to Calhoun they feel that they
render and perpetuate their homage TO
| the majesty of moral rectitude.
And now, fellow-citiZens, l must take
| him away from your hearts, where he Is
enshrined in choicest affection and rev.
erance, aud bear him before those stern,
ultimate judges--history posterity,
country and God These are to take
the exact measure of his life, his servi-
ces, his character and his motives, with
| out any fear or affection, and with the
intiexible tests and scrutiny of justice.
STATE SOVEREIGNTY AND NATIONAL
UNION.
In the early history of our Republic
/
of each other-the principle of Local
State sovereignty and that OF nationa
union. Although both of these power:
were to be found in the embryo of oul
political system, they existed in confu
sion and without precise legal definition
each having claims to urge and facts Il
allege in support of It's respective pre-
tension to supremacy The principle
. | 6 Z no hrDpnb
into operation, and, therefore, preceded
the other in legal recognition and actua
predominance. Previous to the Decla
ration of Independence the colonie
were each a distinct political cOmmu
nifty; each had its own separate politica
organization, the legislation of which
extended no farther than its own terri
torial limits. The only political bonC
) which held them in union was tn
sovereignty of the British union. Whel
they threw that off, the States had n
common government. The general soy
ereignty over them as whole disap
peared and ceased to exist, at least i
visible and legal embodiment of organ
lied power, and passed into the severs
States, which had become each indepen
dent and sovereign in its own right
E The Constitution was framed by dele
, gates elected by the Legislatures.
was the work of the sovereign States, q
independent, separate communities.
was ratified by conventions of thes
: separate States, each acting for itselt
! By this Constitution certain well-define
, and specified powers were delegated t
the Federal Government, but it expires,
ly declared that 'the powers not herei
delegated to the United States by th
. Constitution, nor prohibited to tn
States, are reserved to the States respect
E lively, or to the people"
/ If the constitutional history of tn
: United States had stopped with tn
adoption of the Federal Constitution b
q the original thirteen States, it woul
e hardly be questioned that this Cover
5 ment was Government of sovereig
4 States with every attribute of Stat
: sovereignty retained in its system. Blu
j the law of development applies to huma
S society as much as to any other create
: being. In all nations in which ther
are any STRINGS of constitutional lif
o there is more than one fundaments
t principle or power. These several priI
y ciples or elements are not all develope
Events and influences will develop on
f element into ascendeney; subsequer
o conditions and events may cause diffe
j. ent element to shoot forward and owe
i come the others. Now, although th
e Declaration of Independence and th
l. articles of confederation and the Cor
stitution of the United Sta tes were a
e based upon the assumption of the indie
| 1a,oa nd 80
!, States, yet in point of historical fact tn
/ inhabitants of the American colonie:
:, both before and after independence
:. were, in many important respects, on
5 people. These colonies, as one bod
0 polite, were one people in being subiec
d TO the authority of the British sovel
G eign; they were one people as bein
subject in their civil and social relation
a to the common law of England; the
/ were one people respecting their right
!, as Englishmen, which, to the honor o
r England, were planted by their cradle
/ in the infancy of their colonial exist
: ence; they were one people in language
! in blood, in manners, aud especially il
e being subjected to a common oppression
e and thrilled by the intrinsic glory of
f noble cause into a unity of American
2 patriotism. Although these facts ma
e not be found in State papers and record
of legislation, they shot their roots dee,
: into the thought, the belief, the instinc
of the great mass of the people, anC
: sometimes found expression in publi
} documents; for instance: "When in tn,
course of human events it becomes ne
. cessary for one people to dissolve" etc.
etc.
And, whilst it is true that when thi
national sovereignty of the British Gov
: eminent was overthrow there was ne
organization of national power for the
time over the whole people, yet it is al
so true that even in the absence of sucl
power those States were never for on.
instant disunited; that, with respect Il
foreign relations and all matters touch
ing their relation to. each other, the SOY
ereign power was ever exercised by tn,
States united; and never-not in single
i MISTAKENLY several State.
INFLUENCES CEMENTING THE UNION.
After the adoption of the Constitu
ton, the moral, social and material
forces which have always been more
powerful in moulding the institution in
determining the destinies of nations,
than internal legal forms, combined tc
increase the power and magnify the i'm
portance of the General Government OF
the Union at the expense of that of the
particular government of the States
When independence was first achieved
the original States lay stretched along
the Atlantic coast, sparsely peopled, sep,
arated by vast wiidernesses, with no
means of internal communication and
trade. except by stage, pack-horses and
sumpter mules on land, ami hat-boats.